Think back for a minute (for some of us there are more of those available minutes to remember than others!) about when you were a child and you were afraid, truly afraid.

I vividly remember the evening we received a late night phone call. My mother’s brother had had a massive heart attack in another city, and the prognosis looked grim. It was doubtful my mother would arrive in time to get to see him again. Obviously, she was a hysterical mess and being only nine years old, I was as well. I just wanted to hide in a closet because I was so scared. I didn’t understand exactly what was going on, only that there was chaos all around and I felt anxiety and fear. I remember it as if it were yesterday.

Children in foster care and children waiting to be adopted feel like this each and every day.

Children enter the foster care system in our country through no fault of their own. It’s not like they put it on their bucket list, “I want to be in foster care.”

Yet I’m not sure we have really done much to change, improve, restructure or wipe out our foster care system since its inception. There’s not a single child in the system who has the same story. Just like no two births are alike, no two adoption stories are alike either. Each child’s story is unique to that child.

The one common thread that I do see time and time again in each child who is waiting to be adopted is the sad look on his or her face. A look that says, “I want a forever family, a place to call home, a place to live in safety, guidance, hope, love and opportunity.”

They aren’t asking for a car or jewelry or fancy clothes or fine dining; they are just asking for a chance. A chance like the one everyone reading this is capable of offering.

Yes, I do realize that bringing an extra person into your home has financial implications and changes the day-to-day dynamics of your household, but so many other things do the same and yet we choose to do them.

People were created to be loved and we need to take a chance on these amazing kids, who are aging out of foster care to the tune of over 30,000 per year. That is a staggering number to me — 30,000 kids NEVER get a forever family. They are never told they are loved. They never get a birthday card or Christmas present.

I could go on and on, as my family has experienced this up close and personally. We know what happens when you take a risk and take that leap of faith and invest in someone. It is the most rewarding thing you will ever do. I cross my heart!

The definition of parenting in the dictionary, yes, I still use one that lives on my desk, is “a person who nurtures and raises a child; to be or act as a mother or father” and lastly “a person who brings up and cares for another.” Do you realize it never mentioned birth or genetics, not once?

One very interesting statistic: One out of four kids adopted are adopted by a person over the age of 55. It’s not about age; it’s about love. It’s about providing for someone in need. It’s about loving someone who doesn’t match you. We as adult are responsible for these children and young adults.

Genetics is the least of what makes you a parent I tell you all this because I have a new TV show: Family Addition with Leigh Anne Tuohy. On each Friday-night episode, we highlight families with obstacles to overcome and red tape to cut through.

Team Tuohy, which consist of my daughter Collins, Sue Mitchell, Michael’s tutor (whom Kathy Bates played in the Blind Side) and me, works each week to ensure that these families have every opportunity made available to them to help them achieve their ultimate goal of having the child in their home become a forever member of their families.

We hope this show will inspire and motivate you to get out of your comfort zone and make a difference in the life of a child. There is something we all can do. You might not go out and adopt, but you can journey along with someone who has made that decision. You can be a part of their support group and lend a hand when needed.

Our goal is for Family Addition with Leigh Anne Tuohy to bring awareness to everyone that there are no unwanted kids, just unfounded families. So please, tune in and talk about this show at work, at home, in the grocery store, on your kids’ field trips, whenever and wherever you can and help us ensure that we are making every effort to provide for our next generation.

Let’s stop making this someone else’s responsibility. This is (or needs to be) EVERYONE’S responsibility. That is, if you want the world to become a better place.

————————-

Leigh Anne Tuohy is an interior designer, author, media personality and speaker. She is best known for being featured in Michael Lewis’ 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, and its subsequent 2009 feature film adaptation The Blind Side. In the film, Tuohy was portrayed by actress Sandra Bullock, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the performance. Leigh Anne is the host of Family Addition with Leigh Anne Tuohy and she frequently gives motivational speeches on recognizing the full potential of individuals, particularly those who society has deemed valueless.

RECENT POSTS:

5 Responses to Every child deserves a forever family

Sabrinasays:

July 15, 2013 at 9:52 am

My husband and I have recently started researching adoption through foster care. We are done having biological children due to unforeseen medical circumstances…but we know our family is far from complete! We are probably still a couple of years away from adopting, but we know for sure that we will adopt through foster care! We want so badly to help a child learn what real love and real family is. Thanks for writing this post!

Tammysays:

July 15, 2013 at 12:35 pm

Thanks so much for investing your time to help foster families become adoptive families! We have 3 bio kids, oldest 20, youngest 9. Our adoption of our 1 and 2 yr old should be final in next week or so, but we are already wondering if we should adopt again. Our home has the room, we have a 15 passenger van, and we have more free time than many to care for kids. We are praying that God will make a way if that’s His will for us, and I’m thinking it may be, since there are so many kids needing a home. I think many that could are missing out on a blessing by not opening their homes and hearts. May God bless all the families that choose to love kids- if they are bio or if they didn’t birth them- love makes it a family!!

nicolesays:

July 15, 2013 at 4:54 pm

Wonderful article. Children growing up in foster care is terribly sad. We were trying to adopt when I got pregnant but we wanted an infant. We are now done having bio kids and I have always felt the call to adopt. Maybe we will.

Danny's Mommasays:

July 16, 2013 at 5:50 am

My husband and I have been researching adoption. We would love to give a child a chance. We have one 5 year old bio son who we love dearly and know he’d make a great brother to someone.

I searched for your show on my TV so I could DVR it but it didn’t appear, (it may be too new?). I’ll google it, hopefully I’ll be able to find info because I’m really interested in watching.

Hot Topic

Even though the groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter, Daylight Saving Time is quickly approaching! On Sunday, March 8th at 2:00am, most of us will turn our clocks ahead one hour. Here are some tips that you can implement now to help you and your baby make a smooth transition as we “spring forward.”… Read more »